Chinese M&As surge in Belt & Road regions

China’s cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the Belt & Road regions surged 47 percent year on year in 2017, although overall investment declined last year, a Shanghai based consulting firm said today.

Singapore, Russia and Israel were the top M&A destination countries for Chinese investors. Mining, infrastructure and TMT (technology, media and telecom) industries were hottest sectors for M&As, according to a report from the Morning Whistle Group, a local consultancy firm for cross-border business.

Stringent scrutiny from US regulators was cited as a factor for the decline in overall M&A investments from China in 2017, the company said. But M&As in the B&R region posted "sizzling growth” because of the Chinese government's strong policy support and abundant capital, said the company, without providing detailed figures of M&As.

Shanghai was the top region for M&A deals in the B&R region in 2017, with 18 deals confirmed, followed by Beijing, Guangdong Province and Hong Kong, said Morning Whistle.